In May of Year 33 of the Hidden Leaf Village calendar, chaos consumed the borders of the Land of Fire. Three neighboring nations were locked in constant conflict, and the Land of Rain suffered the most. Village after village was ravaged, countless families destroyed by foreign shinobi passing through their land.
Unable to turn a blind eye to the devastation, the leader of the Hidden Rain, Hanzo, declared open war at the start of the year on the three nations he saw as the cause of this tragedy: the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind.
At the Academy, the eleven-year-old Nagisa of the fifth-year class could barely contain his excitement when he learned that students from fourth and fifth year would be allowed to graduate early. His face lit up, completely unaware of the heavy expression shared by his elder sister, by the teacher who would soon become his mentor, Orochimaru, and by their companion Jiraiya.
Times of war made early graduation far from a blessing.
"We cannot send students straight to the battlefield. That goes against the Second Hokage's intentions."
"All of this is for the sake of the village. In wartime, we cannot afford hesitation, Hiruzen."
"Quiet. I am the Hokage."
"You will regret this."
Inside the Hokage's office, a familiar scene unfolded. Danzo Shimura stormed out in anger, leaving the two ANBU guards at the door exchanging uncertain glances.
"Close the door."
"Yes, sir."
Once the room quieted, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a drag from his pipe. He knew better than anyone how desperate the situation at the front lines was, yet how could he, as Hokage, allow untested children to march into a war they were not prepared for?
"White Fang."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
A tall man with snow-white hair stepped into view, clad in the standard ANBU uniform with a mask marked in red. Sakumo Hatake had arrived.
"There are many graduating this year. Read their assignments to the academy staff and distribute them accordingly."
"Yes, sir."
Sakumo accepted the folder. As he skimmed the list, his brow ticked upward. One of the teams had a genin listed as a teacher. That was absurd.
Although Sakumo was not yet the legendary figure known as the Hokage's Right Hand, he was already captain of an elite ANBU unit. He could not help but voice his doubt.
"Lord Hokage, if I may speak freely."
Hiruzen exhaled a cloud of smoke. Sakumo, half playfully avoiding the drifting haze, waited for permission.
"You noticed something, Sakumo?"
"Yes."
He pointed at what he considered an obvious mistake: a genin assigned as a squad leader.
"This genin named White Star. I do not recall him. At eighteen years old and still a genin, I doubt he is any kind of prodigy. Why would someone like that be chosen as a team instructor?"
Hiruzen's expression shifted, as though recalling an amusing memory.
He stood and turned toward the window overlooking the village.
"Sakumo, if I remember correctly, you have never once failed a mission."
"That is correct, Lord Hokage," Sakumo answered with genuine confusion. "But what does that have to do with this White Star?"
Hiruzen turned back, confidence radiating from his face, the confidence of a leader in his prime.
"Because he is just like you."
"He has completed one hundred percent of his missions."
On the second floor of the Hokage Building, within the Mission Assignment Hall:
A young shinobi stepped up to the counter. He had neat black hair, a cool and refined face, and carried a small pure-white kitten in his arms. He approached one of the chūnin clerks to submit a mission.
"White Star, you completed another D-rank mission all by yourself. Impressive work." The chūnin held up a thumb in praise.
"Hmm." White Star nodded calmly, saying little as he waited for the clerk to bring the noblewoman who owned the runaway kitten.
After two or three minutes, a flamboyantly dressed lady rushed in. She swept up her cherished pet, thanking White Star profusely. Her gaze lingered on his striking face and lean physique. Before leaving, she even asked in a soft whisper whether he would consider becoming her personal bodyguard.
"I am a shinobi of the Leaf Village," he replied simply.
"What a pity." Although reluctant, she left quickly. Ordinary citizens always felt a certain fear when interacting with shinobi.
After she departed, White Star collected his mission reward: five thousand ryō. Since he worked alone instead of in a team, he received only two thousand of it.
Finding lost pets was the lowest kind of D-rank task. Normally two or three genin were needed, but White Star always completed them by himself.
Just as he was pocketing his payment, another chūnin entered the room with a set of documents. Spotting White Star, he called out excitedly, "Good timing. The Hokage has appointed you as a squad instructor. If you do well, even if your strength is lacking, you might be promoted to chūnin."
White Star frowned. The money in his hand felt suddenly less comforting.
He had avoided promotion for years, intentionally failing the chūnin exams every time. Even fresh graduates could defeat him, at least on the surface. That was how he kept himself safely at the genin rank.
The reputation he developed was not unlike that of Might Duy: a harmless, hardworking failure who spent nearly every day completing D-rank missions. In six years, he had completed well over a thousand of them.
Now, unexpectedly, he was being assigned as an instructor. That could only mean he was being pushed toward the increasingly dangerous front lines.
"Can I refuse?"
The room fell completely silent. Clerks halted mid-task, and even a jōnin squad handing in paperwork looked over in surprise.
Realizing he had drawn too much attention, White Star immediately took the folder from the clerk.
"I was joking."
He turned and left without looking back.
The moment he was gone, laughter filled the room.
"I never thought White Star would joke around."
"The mission fanatic himself refusing a challenge? Impossible."
"I still remember when he failed the chūnin exam the sixth time. He declared that if he couldn't reach the rank through his own strength, he would remain a genin forever. No way he is afraid of teaching a squad."
Their laughter filled the space, easing the bleak atmosphere that often settled over the room due to grim war reports.
Meanwhile, White Star hurried home with the assignment documents in hand. Alone at last, he examined them in silence, deep in thought.